Captain, I think your post described perfectly the chaos (Argentina not being Argentina, Spain and its alliances, the treatys, the Pope, et al), claims and counter claims that happened until 1833 and beyond.
About Argentina "official" position, is here (in English):
http://www.mrecic.gov.ar/portal/sere...s/homeing.html
Regarding your questions, Argentina abolished slavery and "titles" (King, Earl, so on) on 1813 (have ni mind that 1789 "
Liberté,
égalité,
fraternité" was in vogue at the time), so is clear that Vernet was appointed as governor and paid in advance with land (lot of). Same thing happened with most places in the Patagonia.
I think the tax exemption was a carrot in front of Vernet.
The self determination thing is very interesting. The United Provinces at the time of independence (1816) covered not only Argentina but Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of Bolivia, etc. Not so much years later, those places asked for independence and Buenos Aires sent military expeditions to suffocate the revolution...
But I think is not the same in the Islands. The former population was evacuated by force and a new population was implanted by the UK. Of course the new ones wants to stay loyal to the King (or Queen). But, why if you ask the descendents of the 1833 emigrees?
I should say that I understand the islanders. If I belong to a prosper colony of a world major power, why on earth I would ask to be a citizen of a third world country governed by peronists!
Anyway, is not a simple matter. A pleasure to chat pacifically about it.
Regards!